Pope Francis bestows pallium on Caceres Archbishop Alarcon

Pope Francis on Saturday bestowed the pallium on Caceres Archbishop Rex Andrew Alarcon during the mass for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul at the Vatican over the weekend.

The archbishop received the pallium from at the conclusion of a Holy Mass on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul held on June 29 at St. Peter's Basilica at the Holy See.

Alarcon is among the 42 archbishops appointed over the past year who received the pallium. He is the only Filipino Metropolitan Archbishop to receive it this year.

The pallium is a wool band prepared for the metropolitan archbishops across the world as a sign of their unity with the Pope and of their responsibility as shepherds of a local Church.

Alarcon was appointed Archbishop of Caceres on February 22 this year.

Before being named archbishop, Alarcon was appointed as the Bishop of Daet in 2019.

Alarcon was born in Daet, Camarines Norte. He was ordained priest in 1996.

Among his other roles, Alarcon is the chairperson of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Youth.

He is also the national spiritual director of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV). —Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News